amauck

Aid activists are set upon by armed thugs weilding semi-automatic machine guns. Their only means of self defense? Pipes, sticks and their own fists.

"But they grabbed weapons from the soldiers and used it on them!"

Think of it - you're attacked by a man with a gun. All you have is a stick. By some lucky miracle (for you) you were able to thwack the BA$TARD on the head and he falls down. Your new choice: keep the stick, or pick up the gun and use IT to defend yourself.

Please don't insult either my OR your intelligence to say you wouldn't have done the same exact thing.

The Israelis are thugs. They were thugs when they bulldozed Rachel Corrie and MURDERED her, and they're showing themselves to be thugs once again.

You can't claim self defense when it's YOU that went on the offensive.

vietnamsailor

Why are we as Americans alays ready to jump on the Israely Goverment when they go after one of there enemy's. Yet Our own people are giving our goverment more of our rights. so they can protect us. Let Israel's people take care of them selves. We need to make sure that we have not given our highest office to some one who does not have the right to that office.

cj

When the video clearly shows the Israelis boarding the ship by rappeling and using both hands...how do they fire at anyone? As soon as they hit the deck they are set upon by the "peace" activists. This flotilla ignored justified orders to stop for inspection. They were obviously attempting to create an incident and came armed ready to strike. The Israelis were totally justified in their response.

Nessus

piafredux

I object to the formula of this survey question because it presumes that what Israel did was to "raid" the so-called "Peace" Flotilla. A raid is a hit-&-run attack to interdict, destroy, or plunder an enemy installation or vessel - and the use of that word in this question is prejudicial. What Israel did, in accordance with international maritime law and laws of warfare with respect to blockade, was a legal stoppage for inspection of cargo for contraband aboard a vessel bound for a blockaded seacoast.

Actual raiders would not have been armed primarily with paintball guns.

ram1934

mmcgregor

Israel had every right to do what they did. those foltillas were warned not to try to run the blockaid. The Israelis only entered those ships to turn them around. The so-called activists were/are terrorists that were intented to commit acts of terroism against any Israeli in the area. If anyone has any doubts about Turkey's intentions all they have to do is lok to the Ottoman empire history. It's the same as the rest of the Muslim Nation's intent - to make the whole world muslim - at any cost. Just like thye Nazi's and the communists - world domination at any cost -"The end justifies the means!" Israel is only defending what is rightfully her's. If anyone truly has the guts to study the history of that part of the world WITHOUT DISTORTING IT TO JUSTIFY THEIR BELIEF. I have been a student of history -especally so-called "Ancient History" and history of the Middle East; especially customs and laws; and it greatly disturbs me at the distortions of facts that I see and hear.

Boentgru

Armed with "paintguns"? Those so-called "paintguns" killed at least nine people who were armed with what the Israelis called "sharp steel". The paintguns were most likely M-4 supplied by the U.S. In the past 18 months, one person, a foreign worker, was killed by the rockets fired into Israel from Gaza. In one day, Israeli commandos, acting as pirates in international waters, killed at least nine (9) civilians with automatic weapons. Where is the justice in that? Counties should provide naval destroyer escorts to ships heading for Gaza, regardless of what they are carrying. The Israelis said the cement was a military war material. What Chutzpah! And they still haven't delivered it.

bbz3qmt

Israel has acted like the bully of the block for way too long. If you starve the Palestinians long enough, they will either die or get so pis-ed off that they become true terrorists.

Doesn't anyone look at the lessons of history? I guess not or we would not be in Iraq and Afghanistan. Oh dear how silly of me, the American government learning from history, that would have required GWB to have studied. One really shouldn't expect much from a cheerleader.

Or in the words of Paul McCartney on receiving the Gershwin Prize presented at the Library of Congress "well your new president knows what a library is, your last one didn't" Thank you Sir Paul.

wlulre

Under international law, Israel has the right to protect the lives of its civilians and has undertaken measures to defend itself, including the imposition of a maritime blockade to curb the smuggling of weapons by Hamas. Five of the six flotilla vessels offered passive resistance to the Israeli boarding parties, and the redirection of these vessels to Ashdod was accomplished in a peaceful manner. However, the activists on the sixth ship violently attacked the Israeli landing party. After several Israeli personnel were wounded, some critically, the landing party was forced to act in self-defense. Israel does not prevent aid from reaching Gaza via established land-based crossings and there is no lack of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

EShattuck

jmadej

If you want to know who to fear, it is those you cannot criticize. The Jewish Defense League and the media will make sure that no one says anything bad about the "chosen people." However, read a few of the anti-Gentile remarks that they feel free to make.
Golda Meir said: "There are no Palestinians."
An Israeli rabbi said: "One million Arabs are not worth one Jewish fingernail."
In June, 1967 Israel pre-emptively attacked its neighbors, thereby starting the Six-Day War. On 6/8/67 Israel attacked the unarmed USS Liberty in international waters, killing 34 and wounding 171 US sailors. This act of war by "the only democracy in the Middle East" was explained away as an accident. Our "only ally in the Middle East" got away with murder and has been killing with abandon the unarmed for over 40 years and getting away with it. They have a saying that there is no business like the Holocaust business, and they use it to brainwash the world into believing that they are victims